The Crust
by Ramonks33
Summary: Peeta teaches Katniss about a philosophy her father taught him.


**Thanks for the reviews on my other stories!**_  
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_*Drip,Drip,Drip*_

Water dripping through the cave. I put the pot that Katniss used to make soup under the cracks to make sure it didn't fall on her.  
_*Sigh*  
_A distant sigh makes me refocus on her. Her braid, her eyes, her refusal to play the Games on anybody but her and my terms. Wonderful. Beautiful. Amazing.

"Peeta?"

"Yes Katniss?, I ask. Maybe she'll admit she loves me too. But that'll never happen. What would an amazing girl like her, fall in love with a poor baker boy like me?

"What were the Careers like?" she asks. Of course, she just wanted to know about the Careers strategies, plans…..

"Well, I start, "There was Glimmer and Marvel. A pair of work those two were…..."  
This explanation starts with Glimmer's apparent crush on Cato, Marvel on Glimmer, and Clove not even sure what's going on, and Cato's crush on Clove. And Glimmer HATES Clove. Then it continues to their strengths, such as Cato's ability to slash at great distance with very fatal injuries. Glimmer's only strength is getting in the way. Clove, was very good at throwing knives. Katniss winces at this part, as she should know. The injury on her forehead hasn't healed yet.

Then Marvel, who was fairly good at the spear. I continued to the part where Marvel threatened me at one point because he thought I had the hots for Glimmer. I noticed she was closing her eyes, and whispering.

"Katniss?" I ask, worried I might've triggered something.  
"Rue…she moans"Rue…..no…..you'll be ok…..no"  
It hits me hard. Why did I bring it up? Marvel killed Rue, a tribute from District 11. She was birdlike, flying from tree to tree, a survivor.

"Shh….I say"It's gonna be ok"  
"No it's not, It's my fault, I wasn't there in time….I-"  
I didn't give her the chance to finish. I leaned in, and silenced her worries. Her grey eyes widened, her fingers curled upon my chest. I release

"Peeta….."she says

"What?"

She slowly moves in, and asks "Why did you join the Careers?"  
Her voice is so small, so tiny, she could've been Rue while she was dying. I clutch her hand

"I was trying to lead them away from you, I start,"I knew if I could lead them away from you, I could keep you alive longer."  
She looks at me, entranced by my words

"When you dropped those tracker jackers, I knew it was time to dissapear. Cato saw you leave, he slashed me to make sure I couldn't go after you.I guess you could say there is more beyond my crust"

"Wait" she interrupts, looking extremely puzzled.  
"What do you mean "there is more beyond your crust?"

"Well, I begin and think of my father. My father who was never as mean as my mother. My father who taught me the things I needed to know about bread.

"My father taught me a philosophy as a 4 year old."Peeta, he said,"You know a bread has a crust and and sometimes, the crust shows false truth on the inside of the bread."

She still looked extremely confused.

"Ok, I think of examples,"Think of Rue"

"Ok" she says tentively, and she scrunches her eyes together. I know she is trying hard not to think of Marvel and the spear.

"Rue was tiny on the outside, I begin ,"But inside, she was much more then that, right?"

"Yea, she replies. She already told me on how she could feed herself, and how she can climb from tree to tree without one piece of noise.

"See, I say, and squeeze her hand,"People are more then their crusts. There are the ones that looks useless, but on the inside, it's so much more. And there are also the others who look like a lot on the outside, but are hollow on the inside."

"Glimmer", she murmers. I agreed. She was way less then she appeared.

"So, she says a few minutes later"Am I more then my crust?"

"Well,I say, "I think you are very much more then your-?"

Katniss just leaned it, and kissed me. She leaned in, not me. I put my hand around her back, and one hand on her face. When I let go, we both giggle, and take the night off. And we both fall into a dreamless sleep. When I wake up, she's there, smiling.

"Peeta, she sang

"What?"  
"Look!"

I get up and see what she's holding. A bread with pure white fluffiness inside, but a dark ,seed covered, crust.


End file.
